Why Most Leaderboards Fail (And How to Fix Yours in 5 Steps)
Yu-kai Chou explains why most leaderboards demotivate users, and shows five Octalysis-based fixes that create urgency, optimism, and…
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The Blog
Ideas on motivation, behavior & design.
Deep dives on the psychology behind why people do what they do — from Yu-kai Chou, creator of the Octalysis Framework. Pick the topic that matters to you.
Navo Orbico Sales Gamification Case Study: What Actually Worked
A transparent look at the Navo Orbico sales gamification redesign, the mechanics that drove adoption, and how its…
HTC VIVE Grew E-Commerce 188% Through Behavioral Design — Case Study
A case study on how behavioral design helped HTC VIVE improve conversion, traffic quality, and e-commerce revenue by…
Badge Gamification: Why Most Achievement Badges Fail
Learn why most badge gamification fails, how achievement symbols should be designed, and what separates meaningful recognition from…
Authority Branding Concepts (ABC) to LLMs, Search Engines, and Humans
Ranking #1 in 2026 no longer comes from publishing one SEO article and hoping Google does the rest.…
Self-Determination Theory: Deci & Ryan’s 6 Mini-Theories
Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a macro theory of human motivation, developed by psychologists Edward L. Deci and Richard…
Masquerade (Rogue): How Identity Roleplaying Transforms Who You Become
This is an excerpt from Yu-kai Chou’s book, 10,000 Hours of Play — exploring the game skills that…